We saw an amazing example of the technology being developed and built for protection against earthquake damage.

THK is a leading company in the development of this technology in Japan. Their technology is used under new buildings built in Japan and other seismically active areas. Based on the company’s ball bearing and high precision movement technology, building positioning literally compensates for various lateral and vertical movement of the ground, dramatically dampening the perceived movement and shaking caused by earthquakes and reducing potential damage.

THK has expanded this technology for use with important components like delicate machinery, robots, server racks, computer systems, etc. It is also being used in museums to protect priceless artwork and by wine collectors whose wine bottles are very vulnerable during large earthquakes.

The video below shows a server rack mounted on THK’s Seismic Isolation Table – Model TSD. The plate under which the table is sitting is moving to simulate the magnitude of the Great Tohoku earthquake of March 11, 2011, in the area of the greatest shaking. The Isolation Table is absorbing virtually all of the movement below.